Wolf in sheep's clothing, or in this case....a sports bra

Today I got to thinking about idols. The Bible often speaks about idols and idolatry, but refers specifically to actual manifestations of pagan gods. Nowadays the idols we worship take on much more deceptive and sophisticated forms: Money, power, fame, status, greatness, sports etc. But really, in my opinion an idol is anything that tends to take precedence over God in daily life. That is, it occupies our thoughts more often, influences our choices, or is generally what we form our life around. I have discovered an unexpected idol in my life, and that is physical exercise. A seemingly harmless and beneficial habit to adopt, I began getting serious about fitness around sophomore year of college and in the past 4 months or so, have really made it a large part of my life. Most of my free time when I'm at home goes to exercise. It takes up the place of my night time devotionals or my mid-afternoon quiet times. I think I was so eager to take up this new idol because unlike my spiritual health, my physical health was more tangible and real. It made me feel and look good. Nobody commented on how Christ-like my actions were becoming, but people did comment on how fit I was looking. It's also just easier. Growing in Christ often leads me to become convicted, broken, and contrite. It's hard, and often painful. But it is also eternal, and this body that I spend so many hours to perfect will one day return to the earth from whence it came. From dust to dust. So now that I have regained perspective, I think my priorities need to go towards a goal that will outlast this body and this life.